Coordinating data collection in intercropping: A feasible example

Intercropping is a promising strategy towards a more sustainable agriculture. To turn
research outcomes into practice, integration of results across countries and between
research and on-farm trials is necessary. Inadequacy of current data reporting tools (e.g.
from biodiversity experiments) to fully accommodate the particularities of intercropping
data represents a major barrier to exchange of data on crop mixtures. Here, within the pan-
European project ‘DIVERSify’, we give a feasible example of standardisation procedures in
data collection and collation in intercropping field trials across Europe, conducted at small,
large and on farm scale. A series of data standardisation tools is described, with details on
specific adaptations made according to trial scale. Finally, we give recommendations on
critical aspects for data coordination and an outlook on the next steps required for making
intercropping datasets comparable also at a global scale.